Ringgold deadlock could finally be broken

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Does anybody have Jimmy Carter’s phone number?

The deadlock on Ringgold School Board over whether the district should build one new middle school or extensively renovate two elementary schools to serve the same function has become so bitter and protracted that it could be time for the globe-trotting ex-president to step in and mediate, as he has in other intractable conflicts.

Last week, the board missed a deadline to place a referendum on the November ballot that would have taken the issue to district voters because they were split 4-to-4 on whether to proceed in the first place. At the very least, we suppose taxpayers, parents and students in the district should be thankful the board has not yet drawn battle lines over the configuration of the table they use at meetings.

There is some hope, however, that the impasse could soon be resolved. In a hearing set for today, Judge Janet Moschetta Bell will hear testimony from at least three applicants for a board seat left vacant by the death of Nottingham Township’s Bill Ellis in August. It’s not expected Moschetta Bell will immediately make a choice to fill the vacancy, though she should render a decision in the not-too-distant future.

We cannot comment on the quality of the candidates or their qualifications. But we hope whoever is tapped is able to help resolve the dispute, both on the board and within the community, that has been all too dismaying to witness.